Bernard
Basic Info Bernard (Gizmoguy) is a professor at Spirit High. While he was once a human, he has been cursed into the form of a man-sized mouse. He teaches history. Bernard's History (Past/Present) Bernard was once a rich, influential nobleman who cared for nothing but his own influence and wealth. Treating all around him like less then dirt, he lived a prosperous life while being completely selfish and cold-hearted. However, when he insulted a seemingly normal man, he was afflicted with a powerful curse. He was transformed into a man-sized mouse. His pride destroyed, leaving only remorse for the actions of his past and concern over his current condition. He left his legacy and fortune behind and began to travel the world. During his travels he began to increase his, already quite refined, knowledge in the subject of history. Bernard eventually decided to teach at the school, hoping his knowledge could help benefit the studens there. For the first few weeks at the school, Bernard didn't speak to anyone unless it was his students in class. The first person he truly began to speak with on a regular basis was Francis, the school's academic advisor. Despite their differences in personality, the two quickly became friends. From that point Bernard found it easier to meet others, forming a small, but very close, band of friends. This included his fellow teachers Jack and Silver, as well as Jimena, a student. After her break-up with Flynn, and temporary transformation into a darker spirit, Cinderella attacked Bernard. This ended with him taking serious injuries, but being rescued from a worse fate by being discovered by Jack and taken to the schools infirmary. During his time in the infirmary, the Orded launched its take-over of Spirit High. Bernard put up a magical barrier around the infirmary to protect any noncombatants during the conflict. He was able to keep the spell up for almost the entire conflict, only losing it after it was directly atatcked by members of the Order. Weakened, both physically and mentally, to the point of near unconciousness, he was only able to escape the battle thanks to Francis encouraging him to do so. He still feels that the adviser saved his life by doing so. When school was left out for Spring, Bernard decided to stay at Spirit High. Early in the break, a strange event occured where almost everyone still at the school was transformed into an infant. After the phenomenon, a strange transformation happened to Francis. Instead of being turned back into his usual cat form, he was instead turned into a far more human-like feline. Closely following this sudden change, Bernard began to question if his feelings for the academic adviser were only friendly. He spent nearly a week thinking and contemplating how to address his growing romantic feelings towards Francis, only briefly and vaguely speaking to Jack about them. When Francis decided his current room was not large enough for his new form, Bernard quickly offered to let him stay in his room. It was only a small while after they arrived that the two began to speak, and Bernard stumbled into confessing his fully-realized feelings of genuine love. Much to his surprise, Francis returned them. The two began their vaguely defined relationship then, and the days that followed were some of the happiest in Bernard’s life. And while he was extremely joyful, he was also a bit nervous about admitting to his new relationship to the rest of the school. This was quickly put to stop when the two attended prom together and he soon after had no trouble admitting to his feelings and relationship to anyone, knowing it was easily the best part of his life. Bernard made it through the strange days of ‘Spirit Week’ mostly fine. While the transformations and switches made him a bit more nervous than usual, it caused little harm. This changed on Friday, when the entire school experienced their worst fears. Bernard's particular experience was having Francis willingly ending their realationship. Even days after experiencing his nightmare-made-real, Bernard withdrew into himself. It wasn't until Francis spoke to him about what he'd seen that he was able to move past the experience. During the second attack on the schools by the organization known as ‘PIE’, Bernard was captured. He was kept within confinement for weeks, occasionally bruised or mocked, but mostly left to himself. Eventually the captives were rescued, and he happily returned to the school. When Summer break arrived, Bernard traveled with Francis to his hometown within Germany, after the adviser had been returned to his original form. There he became aquatinted with Francis’ past companions. Personality Bernard is a compassionate and kind-hearted professor who cares greatly for his students. He believes the duty of a professor extends beyond the classroom, and attempts to act as a voice of reason or as a supportive figure to any of the students (or even staff) who need help. He is quite meek, always stuttering when speaking, even while teaching his own class. Despite this behavior, he's very gifted and well-educated in his fields, possessing a great intellect promoted by his world travels. He feels a large amount of shame and anger about the man he used to be. Despite the many years he's spent in his mouse form, Bernard is still very self-concious about his appearance and how others percieve him. Bernard is very trusting in both his students and fellow professors, which can sometimes work against him. Relationships Francis: He was the first person Bernard opened up to at Spirit High. Despite their differences in personality, the two formed a strong friendship as they spent more time together. Bernard feels that Francis saved his life, after refusing to give up on him during the conflict with the Order. More recently, the two have formed a vaguely defined relationship, though clearly full of affection. Bernard trusts and cares for Francis more than anyone else in the world, and losing him is his worst nightmare. Jack Skellington: Bernard gets along well with Jack, and often speaks with him on anything ranging from class experiences to personal problems. He was one of his first good friends amongst the staff, and he still greatly cares for him as one of his closest companions. Jimena: A student in his class, whom he has formed a friendship with. He once tried to give her advice on a predicament she was facing, albeit advice that only made things worse. He’s admitted that Jimena is his favorite student. Silver: Category:Teachers